'Can you get used to me again?' asks Janos.

'I love you', Luca replies.

'I've grown old', says Janos Luca washes his body.

'Will you sleep with me tonight? Asks Janos.

'Yes.' 'Will you stay with me all night?' 'Yes. Every night, as long as I live', replies Luca.

It is almost the only words spoken between them and it was near the end of the film. Early on we see Janos's, dying, bedridden mother but we never see him with her and it is Luca, her daughter-in-law most of the time. Luca tells her that the doctor says she is well and will live to a hundred years. We are not sure but we are not too sure of anything. There are her flashbacks when she was beautiful and then she has some wonderful letters that Luca reads for her or she can sometimes through her magnifying glass but we realise his letters cannot be true because we gradually realise that Janos must be a political prisoner. It is a simple tale but such waiting, longing and tenderness and towards the end it is almost unbearably difficult and intense. The cinematography is brilliant and it is splendid throughout and the acting tremendous.